So, looking beyond Sunday with the Vikings at 2-5, is the season lost?

I don’t think so.

Sunday marks the end of perhaps the toughest first-half schedule in the league.

The second half of the schedule included Green Bay at Mall of America Field, Detroit and two games against the Paper Bears. Arizona has got a rookie quarterback and they’re playing 500 ball. Washington has no offense. Buffalo has no victory. And the Giants and Eagles are beatable.

We’ve got two more weeks of practice against the Cardinals and the Bears until we host the Packers, so that gives us some time to get the offense on track.

Getting Sidney Rice back in time for Green Bay would be nice.

With the NFC generally and the NFC North specifically what it is this seasons–weak–it is entirely possible for the Vikings to make the playoffs even with a loss tomorrow.

THE DEETS
The game will be broadcast on FOX Nationally and FOX 9 Locally with play-by-play provided by Thom Brennaman accompanied by analyst Troy Aikman and “sideline reporter” Pam Oliver.

You can listen to the game locally on KFAN-AM 1130/KTLK 100.3-FM with Paul Allen doing the play-by-play and analysis by Pete Bercich with Greg Coleman on the sidelines. Pre-Game Show starts at 1:15 p.m. CST.

$80,000
The total amount of fines levied against the Minnesota Vikings this week: $35,000 for Brad Childress complaining about the “worst officiated game” he’s ever seen; $25,000 for Randy Moss‘ failure to talk to the media; and $20,000 for Phil Loadholt‘s facemask penalty.

WHICH ESTATE, EXACTLY?
When asked after Friday’s post-practice Q & A session if the fact that Brett Favre could practice Friday meant that he could play Sunday, Brad Childress said “Those are assumptions that the third estate gets to ponder and write about.”

It’s a curious wording, as Childress’ statements often are.

In that context, you’d expect Childress to use the phrase Fourth Estate, rather than the Third, referring as it does to the news media. So did he mean to say Fourth Estate or did he deliberately use the phrase Third Estate, which refers generally to “the people,” or, specifically, in England, the commons, or the commonalty, who are represented in Parliament by the House of Commons?

I’d like to think that Childress, intellectual that he is, used the phrase Third Estate deliberately to be inclusive of the people, the commons, and specifically, we bloggers.

That was awfully nice of the coach, considering what a massive inferiority complex we bloggers have when compared to the working press. 😉